I’ve never been one to have an affinity with maths. Numbers just
don’t tend to make much sense in my head. And economics? Clueless. I, like the
joyful people in this film’s multiple montages, spent the years leading up to
the financial crisis of the 00s enjoying life and culture, blissfully unaware
of the events to come.
The Big Short does
its best to sex up what is, essentially, an incredible dry subject matter. It
follows a group of zany, over the top characters embodying various Wall Street
stereotypes as they (somehow, because numbers) predict the crash of the housing
market that caused the economy to crash. Seeking to profit from this, they bet
against the economy and make millions. Yet the main protagonists are (shock
horror!) banking types with a heart, who agonise over the consequences of the
crash for the population at large, whilst they benefit immensely.
It’s not the most exciting set up, but director Adam McKay
delivers the story with stylish flair. There are fast-paced montages to spur
the story on. There’s a funk score that gives the feel of a 70s con film. The
fourth wall is smashed, drawing us into this corrupt world. There are pithy,
brash and eccentric monologues, particularly from Ryan Gosling’s Jared Vennett
who is something of a narrator. And there are hilariously played asides from
the likes of Margot Robbie and Selena Gomez (as themselves) who attempt to
debunk the economic jargon for us poor helpless viewers. It’s almost
cartoon-like in its colourful boldness, matched by some exaggerated
performances, and a dizzyingly restless camera that will have your head
spinning almost as much as the maths.
Yet The Big Short sits
somewhere awkwardly between comedy and education. For all the flashy
cinematography striving to be the next Wolf
Of Wall Street, this is ultimately a film about numbers. Some go up. Some
go down. And you won’t always know why or how.
The film does try to humanise the impact of the economic
crash, grounding events to a consumable level for us mere mortals without being
too patronising. Steve Carell gives a
surprisingly moving performance as Mark Baum who represents the moral ambiguity
at play – a man making millions off the misfortunes of others. The film only
hints at the full impact of the crisis, but perhaps it doesn’t need to show it, after all most of us who see the film are living through it right now. In that sense, the
film is a call to arms that will shock and anger many viewers with its reveal
of the truth.
Still, those numbers tick away in the background, on mobile
screens, on computer screens. And by the end of the film, you’ll have a better
sense of economics, but have you really been entertained? With little action
besides a lot of frantic conversations, The
Big Short is a hard film to invest in.
3/5
Watch: The Big Short is
out now.
